The present invention relates to a method for causing bubbles in a fluid such as a liquid or a solid-laden liquid to coalesce into a coherent mass for easier deaeration.
Bubbles tend to be produced during handling of various fluids such as industrial water (e.g. boiler water), fluids (including non-flammable fluids) used in hydraulic systems, slurries for ceramic materials, slurries used as coating solutions in paper-making machines for making coated paper, coating solutions for films and tapes, lubricants, cooling liquids for quenching, chemical solutions, liquid foodstuff, and so forth. Bubbles thus produced may cause erosion due to aeration, structural weakening due to cavitation, annoying noise, degradation of the fluids, poor products non-uniformity in materials, and so forth. Hence, bubbles should be removed, but this requires that they first be separated and collected.
Various methods which make use of the buoyancy of the bubbles have been proposed for removing the bubbles in the fluids. However, these methods have not been entirely satisfactory for removing fine bubbles because the fine bubbles have so little buoyancy that they either do not float at all or require a relatively long time to rise up to the surface of the liquid, especially in fluids with a high degree of viscosity. Moreover, large equipment such as tanks must be provided for deaeration.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to cause bubbles in a fluid to coalesce into a coherent mass.
A further object of the present invention is to facilitate deaeration by causing said bubbles to coalesce into a coherent mass.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a means for continuously and efficiently carrying out the process for causing bubbles in a fluid to coalesce into a coherent mass.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.